So what changed?

The most likely culprits that took the fun out of the game were excessive pressure and high expectations.

You see, when you first started to play, you just played. You were immersed in the moment and that’s where fun resides.

Then, at some point, you became overly focused on results and all those emotions took over. The result was a fun-less game with below average scores.

Michelle Wie knows exactly what happens when a player loses their enthusiasm to play the sport… Wie hit the pro circuit with so much promise and fanfare.

In 2003, Wie won the Women’s Amateur Public Links tournament becoming the youngest player ever to win a USGA adult event, then followed up that performance by making the cut at the US Women’s Open at the age of 13.

In 2014, Wie won two LPGA events, one of which was her first major at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open, and achieved 13 Top-10 finishes.

Unfortunately, when labeled with promise, this comes with high expectations and pressure…

During the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Wie had only one Top-10 finish and missed 19 cuts. Wie quickly realized that when you experience overwhelming pressure or excessively high expectations, the game that started out as fun can become a chore.

If Wie was to find her way out of her performance drought she would need to re-discover the fun of the game and that is one reason Wie has turned things around in 2017.

Wie recently climbed up 15 spots in the rankings to No.33 with her fifth Top-10 finish of the year at the Meijer LPGA Classic where she placed tied for second. What is truly remarkable is that Wie started the year ranked 174th in the world.

After the Meijer LPGA Classic, Wie talked about how much fun she had playing despite challenging weather and course conditions.

WIE:“It was a lot of fun. It was tough out there. I mean the wind just started blowing and it was just interesting. Some spots are really wet, some spots are dry, but overall I felt like I played good this week and I’m happy about it.”

If you want to regain your enthusiasm for playing golf, you must find the fun and overcome frustration. And when golf is fun, you will gain the added benefit of playing a whole lot better.

Try This Tip to Regain Your Enthusiasm:

Stop chasing scores and go back in time. Ask yourself, “Why did I start playing golf in the first place?”

Look for all the reasons that golf was fun for you (playing with friends, nice weather, family outings, challenging yourself, etc.).

When you hit the course, rediscover those reasons by telling yourself, “I love playing with my friends,” “This weather is amazing,” or, “Let’s try to hit this shot there.”

Fun and success and are intertwined so make sure to find the fun!

And learning how to overcome frustration and let go of mistakes with “The Golfer’s Mental Edge” will also lead to more fun:

Learn Proven Strategies to Perform with Confidence!

Do you suffer from fragile self-confidence after missed hits, playing with strict or high expectations that undermine confidence or the inability to play freely and relaxed on the course?

If you suffer from lack of focus, low self-confidence or other mental game obstacles on the course, you cant reach your true golf potential…

Successful golfers have learned how to perform with ultimate confidence in competition, so we’ve developed The Golfer’s Mental Edge Workbook and CD program to help you do this!

The Golfer’s Mental Edge program includes the top 8 mental training sessions I do with my personal students to help them boost their mental game and improve consistency on the course.

What are mental game customers saying?

“Last weekend Lisa played in a Florida Junior Golf Association tournament in Gainesville. She played great and won (74-70=144) over 43 other competitors! She’s starting to really believe in herself and her stats are improving each tournament. She is thinking better and making much smarter decisions on the course. Thanks again for your help Dr. Cohn.”~Scott Tyler, Father of Lisa Tyler“

“My confidence level has never been higher! I can’t tell you how clearly I was able to think during all four rounds of tour-school. The simple game plan you gave me really focused me. My confidence level has never been higher during a tournament. No matter how much pressure was on, I was able to control my thoughts and execute. Thank you Dr. Cohn!”~Patricia Baxter-Johnson, LPGA Tour

Boost Your Self-Confidence And Focus With Expert Mental Game Coaching!

Master mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn can help you overcome your mental game issues with personal coaching.

You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone. Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!

What are our mental coaching students saying?

“Thanks for all your help Dr. Cohn. You can rest assured that all our work came in very handy when I successfully qualified for the European Tour. I’m very happy and extremely thankful to you for helping me achieve this massive goal of qualifying for the European Tour! Thanks a lot again.”~Alex Rocha, European Tour Player

You helped me with my routine—it’s almost like it has a flow to it—you pull your club and boom you are into it. You should glide through the routine. It’s when you try to make yourself stick to a cadence; the routine feels out of sync. Helping me get into the flow of the routine has been a big help.”
~Joe Durant, PGA Tour winner